Review: The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers

The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers

Atria Books

February 2013

Format: Hardcover, 323 pages

Source: Library

Happiness at someone else’s expense came at a price. Tia had
imagined judgment from the first kiss that she and Nathan shared. All
year, she’d waited to be punished for being in love, and in truth, she
believed that whatever consequences came her way would be
deserved.

Five years ago, Tia fell into
obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father
of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became
pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption.

Five years ago,
Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please
her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead,
she’s questioning whether she’s cut out for the role
of wife and mother.

Five years ago, Juliette
considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young
sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan’s
affair. He promised he’d never stray again, and she trusted
him.

But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from
Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her
husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his
daughter? And if he’s kept this a secret from her, what else
is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the
little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a
collision course with consequences that none of them could have
predicted.

Riveting and arresting, The Comfort of Lies explores the collateral damage of infidelity and the dark, private struggles many of us experience but rarely reveal.

My thoughts: This was the August pick for the Book Lovers Unite book club and again, I have to hand it to Tamara for picking another winner! This book is so rich with discussion points that it really does make a great pick for book clubs.

The biggest theme that this book explores is infidelity and how it can have repercussions beyond those directly involved. In this case, there are three families affected by an affair between Nathan and Tia and it’s not until five years after the affair that the whole story comes out when Nathan’s wife, Juliette, intercepts a letter from Tia. Randy Susan Meyers takes a unique approach in this book by giving us a look into everyone that is affected by this affair, allowing us to empathize to a certain extent with all the characters. While I didn’t necessarily love any of these women, I did feel sorry for them all at one point or another.

I also found it very interesting to get the different view points on motherhood from each of the three women in this book. From the mother that gives up her child, to the woman that finds out a child was the result of an affair five years earlier, to the woman who adopts this child – each of these women approach motherhood and it’s responsibilities differently.

Have you read this one? What did you think?